Massachusetts Online Gambling

Unfortunately, online casinos are not legal in Massachusetts at this time. To the best of our knowledge, the addition of Massachusetts online casino gambling as a legal activity in the state is not on the horizon right now. However, the recent launch of online sports betting could provide a spark to the possibility of MA online casinos becoming a reality. In addition, Rhode Island just legalized online casinos, and that could potentially put pressure on Massachusetts lawmakers to make a similar move soon.

But for the time being, the best options for Bay Staters who want to play online casino-style games are social casinos. These sites allow you to play slots and table games. Social sites like Pulsz Slots and Casino allow you to play a variety of different casino-style games for fun. Meanwhile sites like Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots and Funzpoints offer the chance to win cash prizes for your play.

Online poker is not legal in Massachusetts right now. In fact, because of the lower profits for gambling providers and taxing authorities, it is less likely that Bay Staters will see online poker options before online casinos debut. That could be a little down the road, as online casinos don’t appear to be launching in the state anytime soon.

In the meantime, you can avail yourself of some social casino options. Some sites let you play poker with people across the country. A good option for this kind of action is Global Poker. Global is a sister site to both Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots, and has plenty of options. You can play No Limit Texas Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, Crazy Pineapple and, Pot Limit Omaha High/Low (aka Eight or Better).

Legal sports bets can now be placed online and in-person in Massachusetts. Seven sportsbooks are currently taking bets in the Bay State: DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, FanDuel, WynnBET, Barstool Sportsbook, and Betr. Another sportsbook, Fanatics, has launched its beta product in Massachusetts.

Barstool Sportsbook is set to undergo a major rebrand to ESPN Bet, as PENN sold Barstool and signed a massive partnership with ESPN. The new ESPN Bet is expected to launch in Massachusetts in November. At full capacity, the state could ultimately feature as many as 15 online sports gambling sites.

In addition to online betting, bets can also be placed in person at MGM Springfield, Encore Boston Harbor and Plainridge Park Casino. All three retail gambling locations offer vast wagering markets, with plenty of wager types, sports and leagues to choose from.

The Massachusetts Lottery is one of the older options for legal gambling in the state, selling its first ticket in 1972. Players have multiple options, as there are several draw games that you can play, including Powerball, Mega Millions and Megabucks. All of these regularly feature jackpots in excess of $1 million.

In addition, you can play the Numbers Game and Mass Cash if you want some options a bit closer to home. The Massachusetts Lottery also sells dozens of instant win games. Keep in mind that you cannot play any of these games online. Although the commission does offer a lottery app, it’s only an informational tool rather than a method to purchase tickets online.

One of the most common types of online gambling in any state is horse betting. Federal legislation from 2000 and an exemption in 2006’s Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act rendered betting on horse racing legal at the federal level and up to each state to decide. Like the majority of states, horse betting in Massachusetts is legal.

There are a host of horse betting sites available to Bay State residents, but one of the best options is FanDuel Racing. The online racebook combines all the features we already love about FanDuel with great horse betting options. In addition to offering a wide variety of wagers, it gives users a chance to stream racing coverage from all around the world. Plus, new users will often get great welcome offers.

Daily fantasy sports (DFS) contests have a particularly deep connection in Massachusetts. One of the major DFS companies, DraftKings, launched in Boston and retains its corporate headquarters in the Back Bay area. The only shock about Massachusetts’ legalization of DFS in 2016 was that it wasn’t the first state to do so — in fact, by then seven others had beaten the Bay State to the punch.

It doesn’t really matter, though. DFS is alive and well as a legitimate activity in Massachusetts, and is a standard activity for many of its residents. You can play on DraftKings DFS, FanDuel DFS or any of the other legitimate providers.